Submission Type

Poster

Start Date

4-21-2022

Abstract

The prevalence of neurodevelopmental disorders, such as Autism Spectrum Disorder (ASD), is rising in the United States. A symptom of ASD is stereotypic behaviors, invariant movement patterns serving no apparent function. Despite interference with daily routines and functioning, effective treatment for stereotypic behaviors is lacking. The ketogenic diet (KD) has previously been used to treat epilepsy, and new evidence shows the effectiveness of KD in treating ASD. Although the mechanisms by which KD is working are still unknown, adenosine, a neuromodulator important in energy regulation, has been suggested to play a key role. Here, we used a population of older stereotypic FVB mice from a previous study investigating the effects of KD on stereotypic circling to assess the effect of an adenosine 2A (A2A) receptor agonist. Mice remained in their previously assigned diet groups and were again fed KD or standard diet (SD) for three weeks. Stereotypic behavior was assessed weekly, and weeks 2, 3, and 4 included the administration of the A2A receptor agonist. At baseline, repetitive circling was decreased in mice previously fed KD compared to SD, showing a persistent benefit of KD on repetitive behavior. Administration of the A2A receptor agonist reduced spinning each week in all mice, and differences due to diet were found only on week 2. Results support that an A2A receptor agonist reduces repetitive behavior but does not synergistically interact with KD. Future studies need to replicate findings with a larger sample size that can investigate sex as a factor.

Comments

Sponsored by Allison Bechard

COinS
 
Apr 21st, 12:00 AM

130 -- The Effect of an Adenosine Receptor Agonist on Stereotypy in Mice

The prevalence of neurodevelopmental disorders, such as Autism Spectrum Disorder (ASD), is rising in the United States. A symptom of ASD is stereotypic behaviors, invariant movement patterns serving no apparent function. Despite interference with daily routines and functioning, effective treatment for stereotypic behaviors is lacking. The ketogenic diet (KD) has previously been used to treat epilepsy, and new evidence shows the effectiveness of KD in treating ASD. Although the mechanisms by which KD is working are still unknown, adenosine, a neuromodulator important in energy regulation, has been suggested to play a key role. Here, we used a population of older stereotypic FVB mice from a previous study investigating the effects of KD on stereotypic circling to assess the effect of an adenosine 2A (A2A) receptor agonist. Mice remained in their previously assigned diet groups and were again fed KD or standard diet (SD) for three weeks. Stereotypic behavior was assessed weekly, and weeks 2, 3, and 4 included the administration of the A2A receptor agonist. At baseline, repetitive circling was decreased in mice previously fed KD compared to SD, showing a persistent benefit of KD on repetitive behavior. Administration of the A2A receptor agonist reduced spinning each week in all mice, and differences due to diet were found only on week 2. Results support that an A2A receptor agonist reduces repetitive behavior but does not synergistically interact with KD. Future studies need to replicate findings with a larger sample size that can investigate sex as a factor.

 

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